Hate at first sight
by Red With White Eyes
Summary: Shizuo Heiwaijima never expected or felt he deserved to find his soul mate; Izaya Orihara never put any significant personal thoughts towards the possibility, preferring instead to not care and pretend the whole thing happened to other people. Then they unknowingly bond with each other. (Soulmate Highschool/Raira days AU-eventual Shizaya) Rating currently T, likely to rise to M.
1. Chapter 1

"**Hate" at first sight-chapter I**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara, nor do I wish to. **

**Please read the A/N s and please R&R as it helps the flames of author inspiration going. **

**Yes I know there's already a few Shizaya soul mate fics, but I had a strange idea that I couldn't get it out of my mind and so I decided to have a go and write a fanfic of it! (This is slightly inspired by several other fics of the same trope, but this is my own take on it).  
**

**I am in a downer mood at the moment and so decided to cheer myself up and write some more Shizaya of my own (I have another fic with them which I NEED to update, but I am struggling with it, so I am writing this to get the creative juices flowing). **

* * *

The happy couple in the photograph were smiling brightly and holding a small dark-haired bundle outside a hospital. They both wore identical white bands and they seemed to emanate –even from a mere picture- a force of happiness and enlightenment that was impossible to comprehend or aspire to.

Fifteen year old Shizuo Heiwaijima snorted gently and put the photograph back on the shelf it had been resting on, next to an almost identical one in which the same couple was holding another baby while clutching the hand of an intensely grinning toddler.

Tucking a few newly bleached strands of hair out of his eyes, Shizuo went back to cleaning a wound on his lower arm, humming tunelessly as he did so.

The deep gash on his arm had come about not because of a fight, but because he had jumped to push away a car that had stupidly swerved in traffic and almost hit him and his younger brother Kasuka as they had walked home from school. Luckily his brother had been able to silently restrain him from beating the living crap out of the incessantly apologizing owner of the vehicle and they had hurried home before their parents could arrive.

Now ensconced in his room, waiting for his brother to bring him some gauze and other nursing materials so that he could bandage his arm; He hoped that he would come quickly as their parents would be home soon, and they–bound somewhat mentally to each other by their bond- would worry and fuss over him and insist on taking him to the hospital, even if his wound was minor. They had done so in the past, even after he told them he could take injuries that were ten times worse than the one he now had. This hardiness had come about because of several years of fighting those who thought they could take him down even if he had immense strength and certain people who would immaturely insult him for being the son of a bonded couple.

Tensing and holding his hurt arm, Shizuo allowed his thoughts to drift uselessly; centring on a lesson his ever joyful mother told him every day.

"_Never stop looking for them Shizuo, never ever, and if you feel any strong emotion towards anyone you meet then always try to bond with them. Because… they could be the person that you could spend the rest of your life with in blissful happiness, like me and your father… so never give up hope that you may find the one" she always repeated in a light and chirpy tone. _

_When he had been very young he would excitedly nod and agree with his mother's advice, he would also ramble on about what he thought his soul mate would look like and what she –always she- would be like. When he had developed his strength and aged out of his last few innocent years, he had taken on a much more cynical and non-expectant view of finding his soul mate. Therefore he had started to cut across his mother or curtly counter her when she started her daily wisdom giving, saying that he "didn't deserve to be bonded" or "who on earth would want to be his soul mate because of his terrifying strength". After these outbursts, his mother would always smile sadly and hug him tightly; never giving up on him. _

The swishing sound of the door opening knocked him out of his reverie. It was his brother, who bluntly handed him a first aid kit.

"Thank you Kasuka" Shizuo said warmly as he accepted it from him. "It isn't too bad, but I should tend to it so that mum and dad don't freak out. I swear that if they take me to the hospital again, I'll tear it down and stomp all over it…" he muttered under his breath as he unrolled a swathe of bandages and got out some disinfectant.

"Do you need any help, Nii-san?" Kasuka asked emotionlessly.

"Nah, I've been doing this so much recently that I could do it in the dark with my eyes blindfolded, you can leave if you like and I'll clear everything away" he replied.

His brother stayed in the room and fixed him with an empty stare.

Shizuo sighed. "You can tell that something's bothering me right?" he met his brother's eyes. "It's nothing… well it's the fact that lately I've been thinking about soul mates, specifically if there's… someone out there for me. You know that I believe that I don't have one, I probably shouldn't even be worrying about it now, especially since most people don't bond until their mid to late twenties or at all." He finished, slightly flushed.

"Don't worry Nii-san, I know that if there's anyone deserving of a soul mate then it's you. I believe that someday you'll bond and meet someone who'll love you irredeemably" Kasuka intoned. "Who knows, you may even find them sooner than you think".

Even if his faced remained passive, Shizuo could detect that his brother meant every word.

Distantly the doorbell rang; wordlessly Kasuka nodded at him and left the room.

Cursing, Shizuo finished his dressing, rolled up his sleeve, and hurriedly put away the kit.

Running out of his room, he slammed the door shut.

The photographs shook.

* * *

"For the past ten years the number of bonded couples has fallen in the world…

The ancient phenomena known as "bonding" has always managed to entice billions of people to look for their "soul mate". Hailed by various religious organisations as proof of a higher entity and studied by dozens of scientific communities around the world, "bonding" has proved to be a deep part of human culture and history. For instance, "Touching Rallies" are held in many countries, with thousands in attendance hoping to make skin contact with their perfect match.

The "bond" as it is most commonly referred to, seems to create a mental link between those who experience it. Many bonded couples have noted that they can feel each other's emotions and over time, their individual thoughts. They have also felt extreme discomfort and isolation when separated from their partner, with increasing nausea the more distance that is put between them. From some extreme cases, it has also been deduced that if one half of a bond dies, the other soon follows.

However, in recent years the number of bonded couples has fallen at a dramatic rate. Usually when two people connect with each other, it is immediately registered in their country of-"

"I've heard enough Shinra" Izaya Orihara curtly interrupted.

They were sitting in their middle school's library after the day was over. Outside it was raining heavily, and to escape boredom, Izaya had forced Shinra to entertain him in "any way he could" while he studied. Shinra's response had been to whip out various magazines and read out magazine articles which interested him. These were usually bizarre and/or scientific, but the one he had just chosen was on something that Izaya currently couldn't care less about.

"Aww come on Izaya, wouldn't it be exciting to find your soul mate, the one person who you could spend the rest of your life with" Shinra implored. "It's obvious that I'm never going to find one, because I already have!" a dreamy look came into his eyes.

Izaya smirked and glanced at his friend. "First of all, I don't care about finding mine. It sounds like such a hassle to love only one person unconditionally and I have wider interests in that aspect. And secondly, you haven't bonded with Celty…"

"So?" Shinra snapped out of his daze and narrowed his eyes at Izaya.

Izaya's smile widened. "What if one day you touched the hand of a random girl and bonded with her? You would be forced –as you read out yourself- to have a link with her. You would know all her thoughts, all her desires and you would have to love her… it's a cosmic law, ne?"

Shinra laughed wildly and beamed at him, "It's deeper than that Izaya, I knew for a fact that Celty was my soul mate the moment I set eyes on her. Nothing scientific comes into it, its raw primal instinct and loooooove. Anyway, you've never met someone who was bonded, haven't you?" he mused.

"Heh, no, but that is somewhat interesting I guess. I could observe them and see how worthy…" Izaya trailed off, he shook himself and threaded his fingers together. "Who have you met that was bonded?" he enquired.

Shinra wrinkled his nose. "It was the parents of a kid I attended lower school with a few years ago. They were pretty amazing, they could communicate with each other without speaking and they had a sort of… intensity. You could tell that they loved each other a lot. Heck, I was- I am I still guess- jealous of them. Even their children were amazing, one of them –Shizuo- had enough bodily strength to lift a car. He developed his strength even more through wear and tear, he was always getting into fights and he was in hospital a lot… maybe I can introduce you to him someday. I haven't seen him for a long time..." he sighed. "I'm burned out about soul mates; can we talk about something else now?"

"Of course Shinra" Izaya glowed; he made a quick note of something and turned back to his friend with an enthusiastic smile.

* * *

It was several years later, when he was in his first term at Raira academy, that the significant law of "bonding" would cross Izaya Orihara again.

He had just been putting his books away in his locker, when he heard an excited shout from behind him.

"Izaya, Shizuo's here! Come and meet him before he leaves!" Shinra yelled as he grabbed his arm and dragged him through the school.

Muting any complaints that he might have had of the situation, Izaya plotted as he was hauled though the hallways.

_Hmm this might be a new toy or a pawn, something to interest me in these boring times. A man with super strength and bonded parents… this is going to be very interesting and fun! _

Sure enough, when they arrived at one of Raira's football fields to witness a tall blond individual fighting and beating an entire group of students with his bare hands, Izaya found his hopes rising.

It was so good and entertaining that he started to clap appraisingly. When the man turned and glared at him with deep golden-brown eyes and insulted him with his few first words towards him, Izaya barely suppressed a shiver and a deep feeling that screamed at him to do _something_ with the beastly blond.

So he did do something.

A few minutes later he had Shizu-chan –a nickname he had created from speaking to several of his old classmates- chasing him in a deathly rage.

_Yes… this is going be to very interesting and very fun…_

He had no idea what twisted paths the future had in store.

* * *

**Whew! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**This fic will (hopefully, but maybe not) be spontaneously updated in small chapters! **

**Please R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

"**Hate" at first sight-chapter I**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara, nor do I wish to. **

**Please read the A/N s and please R&R as it helps the flames of author inspiration going. **

**Finally IT IS DONE!** **I hope all my dear, lovely readers enjoy this chapter as it has been a pleasure to write!**

**Sorry if I haven't updated for month, but I've actually managed to update this fic in a much shorter time span than I usually do for any of my other fics! (Also I've been really busy with my midterms). **

* * *

He's pissed off, beyond pissed off.

Shizuo scowled as he attempted to keep his sheared shirt and school jacket together.

Kicking away a twisted street sign, he growled at the several dozen fallen thugs around him and looked around for the target of all his hatred; only growing more furious when he realized that Izaya was long gone.

_Tch! The fucking bastard is such a fucking coward that he probably left as soon as I scored the first hit. He must have planned to get me as mad as he possibly could, then leave when the fireworks started so that the rest of Ikkebukuro could pay the price. _Shizuo inwardly cursed himself and balled his hands into tight fists.

He began to see intense red; attempting to calm down by taking several deep breaths and counting to a hundred only made him more incensed and eager to reach for the nearest projectile so that he could throw it after his absent enemy.

Grounding his teeth, Shizuo found his mind turning to the beginning of all his frustrations and troubles.

* * *

_It had occurred shortly after the sudden appearance of his strength. _

_Two boys in his lower school class had leveled several slanders at him and had attempted to mockingly mimic his power by role-playing that he was violently hitting his brother. _

_It was only when they called him and Kasuka "freaks of nature" that he had lost his cool and sent a table flying into the wall near their heads, causing them to clam up and stare at him numbly. _

_It had been the first of many such incidences. He had always been an uncontrollable and furious kid, but when the taunts and contempt had grown hundredfold (they had always been minor nuisance before) any remaining control that he had had over his emotions had disappeared, replaced with a borderline acceptance of what he was… a "monster" who would never find his soulmate. _

_Soulmates, he still loathed and loved the prospect of finding "the one". If he did bond with a person, then there was a chance that they could accept him for what he was and he would finally have someone who he could rely on, on a deeper and more emotional level than with anyone else. Even if he did have his brother and his parents, he wouldn't be able to stay with them –and he didn't want to be a burden to them any longer than he had to- forever. _

_But he was being far too optimistic; it was far more likely that if he did find his soulmate then they would reject him… _

* * *

Shizuo flinched and made a bitter noise.

_Whatever, I should just take my brother's advice and not think too much on it. Even if I've lately been feeling very strange, as if there's something I have to do before it's too late… it feels important and when I think too intensely on it, it makes me think of the flea…_

Snorting, Shizuo smoothed his shredded clothing and got his phone out.

Still shaking with rage, he dialled his mother's number and waited for the following beeping to disperse.

It was a tactic that they had devised between them, when he became too murderous towards a certain brunette he would call her and she would calm him down with soothing words and comforting nuances; getting him to sort through his problems and attitude in the process.

Usually Shizuo was dismissive or outright forgetful of the option, but at times such as the current one, when he frantically needed to hear his mother's voice, he would be immensely thankful for it.

His phone finally connecting, Shizuo took a deep breath and greeted his mother.

"Hello…" he grunted. "Yes it was him, No it's not bad. They only gave me several cuts, so I'm going to go over to Shinra's to get treatment okay? You don't need to take me to the hospital or call the emergency services"

Preoccupied, and already cooling down because of it, Shizuo started to stomp down a side street towards his friend's house; his voice fading away from the wrecked scene behind him.

"Yes I said they, there was more than one. It's not impolite; Shinra's used to me turning up unannounced and bloodied, its fine…"

* * *

Shinra Kishitani sighed as he finished bandaging one of his few friends.

"You just had to come here and deprive me of some sweet time with my lovely Celty, didn't you? Why couldn't you have just gone to a hospital and bothered them?" he mumbled, his words gaining him a stormy –only he could tell that it was one- look from his eternal beloved.

Shizuo shrugged nonchalantly. "You know that most refuse to treat me because of my temper and reputation. Anways, you're nearer and you're used to dealing with me".

"Not an excuse Shizuo, _you_ know that this is the only time of the day I get to spend with my love, and because I have to go to school we only have so many hours together to have-"he was interrupted by a sharp punch to his stomach from the object of all his affections.

Sniffling from the pain, Shinra managed to straighten himself without keeling over too much.

"O-okay I get it, you don't love me the same way I love you…yet" he wheezed and flailed his arms to stop her from hitting him again. "Just let me finish treating Shizuo, please".

Wanting to forget the preceding event, Shinra decided to have a nice talk with his friend. Who wore an amused and somewhat pitying smile, probably because of the spectacle he had just saw.

"So Shizuo, what did Izaya do this time?" he asked cheerfully. "You've only known him for a month and yet I bet you hate him more than anyone else".

Shizuo's grin quickly melted and he glared at him. "The son of a bitch set an entire gang after me, they knew my parents were bonded and they called my mother a "choosy whore who should learn to spread her legs more, maybe for them". I knocked all of them out and I would have done worse to Izaya if he had still been there, but he had fled like the pathetic piece of shit that he is" He seethed.

Shinra couldn't help but wince at Shizuo's words; he should have known better and not reminded him of Izaya. Opening his mouth to apologise, he was cut off by a deranged and frenzied outburst.

"That fucking bastard, one day I swear that I'll kill him and rip off his stupid smug smirk. He bothers me so much; even when he's not here I can sense him. He's always troubling me with his confident taunts and exaggerated annoyances. I haven't even touched him yet and it makes me so mad that I want to…" Shizuo clutched his head tightly as he ranted.

Shinra blinked, Shizuo's words had reminded him of something, an extract from some science journal that he had been reading the other day about… His mind whirring, he could only grasp that he had to find and confirm his suspicions-

"Can I go? I think I need to have some alone time and get a grip on myself" Shizuo said tersely.

"Yeah you can, just let me finish... Oh I'm done, I guess you can leave. Do you need borrow some clothes to go home? Your mother always yells at me if you come home all… frayed" he finished sheepishly.

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "If you have anything you can spare" he said with pointed finality.

In the end, he loaned Shizuo one of his larger shirts and the blonde left in a huff, almost causing the front door of his apartment to shatter as he slammed it shut.

Finally left alone with the one person he only truly cared about in the whole world, Shinra couldn't help but stare blankly at the cracked door for a few moments; contemplating a fantastic and ridiculous idea that he didn't really have any real evidence for, apart from a gut feeling that he was the only one who had caught onto something… _obvious. _

But he soon shook himself out of his unprompted stupor and turned to his love, preparing his most seductive voice and wangling his eyebrows suggestively in the process.

"Hey Celty, do you think we could-"

The headless rider kicked him in the head before he even had a chance to finish his sentence.

* * *

Izaya clicked his teeth and lazily flicked his switchblade as he waited outside Raira's gates for his beastly archenemy to finish detention so that he could play with him.

He hadn't fought personally with Shizu-chan for a few days and although sending the gang after him the preceding day had been amusing, he wanted a nice long chase with just the two of them.

His phone suddenly vibrated within his pocket and after looking at the caller ID he answered it out of sheer boredom.

"Mairu, Kururi, What is it?" he chimed.

"_Nii-san" _Mairu's bubbly voice came from the other end. "_Can you come and pick us up from school?_, _mama can't come for several hours because her meeting got delayed"_

"I'm busy at the moment, go home yourself or wait" Izaya said curtly.

"_You sound bored, come and pick us up and we'll entertain you!"_ his sister answered back with mock sweetness.

"You can entertain yourselves. For instance, you could go and look for your Soulmates"

"_Nii-san, how many times do we have to tell you! You know that Kururi and I are bonded to each other forever." _Mairu stated firmly._ "Yes we are!" _echoed Kururi's voice in agreement_. _

"Just keep telling each other that. I'm sure that society would beg to differ"

"_Ugh Nii-san, leave us alone. We'll wait for our mother to pick us up" _

The line went dead.

Izaya groaned in relief, he held minimal affection for his sisters and had tried to view them the same way that he viewed many of his humans, barring Shizuo, as something to be observed with playful interest. Recently this had grown into a much larger annoyance and he had started to ignore them as much as he possibly could.

Snapping to attention when he spotted a familiar head of bleached hair leaving the school, he stepped directly into the path of his monstrous adversary and smirked.

"Shizuu-chan, on your way to terrorise Ikkebukuro I presume?" Izaya said excitedly. "Or are you off to wander aimlessly as you sometimes do; a Beast desperately searching for the "one" who could make him remotely human".

"Shut up flea, Leave me alone" Shizuo bit back with thinly veiled hatred.

"My my, someone is _angry_! Is it because of the detention I got you into after that ambush? Maybe I should apologize, your protozoan brain can barely keep up with everyone else academically already and spending extra hours in detention doing nothing but lines puts you further behind… your bonded parents must be sooo disappointed".

Shizuo roared and lunged for him, dropping his bag in the process.

Izaya easily spun out of his reach and got his switchblade out. His smirk widened and he blew a kiss towards Shizuo, before he began to run, closely followed by his nemesis.

Having caught Shizuo's attention, Izaya led him throughout Ikkebukuro until they both stopped, panting from the effort in an enclosed alley.

"Isn't this fun Shizu-chan! I bet it's the most fun you've had in _days_, since no one ever hangs out with you apart from Shinra or Kadota. Sadly, they can only offer so much entertainment to a monster such as you, so you need to cause destruction to not be bored ne?" Izaya breathlessly leered.

"Just shut up flea, right NOW!" Shizuo wheezed desperately. "What the fuck do you get out of this?"

Izaya laughed and walked straight up to Shizuo until his faces was inches away from the others, causing him to freeze completely still out of shock.

"I hate you so much Shizu-chan… You have no idea what place you hold in my love of humanity. You're on a completely and utterly different and much, much lower pedestal in comparison to the rest of them, and yet…" Izaya whispered almost tenderly.

He extended his hand, until it too was inches away from Shizuo's face.

_What is this… this desperate urge to touch Shizu-chan, with skin to skin contact… to stroke his cheek and pat his hair? I wonder what they both feel like… they look so soft. _Izaya wondered for a few moments until the circumstances caught up to him.

Reeling, He leapt away from Shizuo as if he had been burned, just as the other took a wide swipe at him.

_Why I am thinking this, Shizu-chan is an unfeeling beast that I shouldn't even be wasting my time on. _He inwardly frowned.

Composing his features, Izaya smirked with renewed vigour. "Heh, I think it's getting late Shizu-chan, even for me; Sooo Sayonara Protozoan". He mockingly waved at his enemy and darted away.

Roaring and disregarding all else, Shizuo thundered after Izaya. Muttering _kill kill kill_ under his breath as he ambled.

The chase had for once, become a real one. With Izaya struggling earnestly to get as far away as possible from the one who muddled his thoughts and caused him to second guess his current actions.

* * *

**I'm such a tease… (Don't worry; both boys will bond soon-maybe!). **

**Please R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

"**Hate" at first sight-chapter III**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara, nor do I wish to. **

**Please read the A/N s and please R&R as it helps the flames of author inspiration going. **

**Not as happy with this as with my other chapters for this fic, but I think I did my best. **

**We meet a certain family member of Shizuo's in this chapter, someone who has only made indirect appearances. The only downside is that there is no Izaya, but he will be in the next one. **

**I was also ill when I finished, so yay for me for persevering! **

* * *

_Can "bonds" really be determined, either by science or fate?_

_In a recent scientific survey on the circumstances in which bonded couples first met and formed their bond, it has been found that over 90% of "Soulmates" attribute their bond to a "random meeting". As for Touch Rallies, they count for less than 1% in the recorded results. These statistics highlight the well-known fact that bonds are a sporadic and rare occurrence. However in a few unmarked instances, the bond was only discovered after being "latent" for a while; Meaning that two individuals who had known each other in either abstract or distant circumstances (e.g. two workers in different sectors of an office building, who would cross paths intermediately but not have further contact) had formed certain "feelings" about the other. This would usually manifest itself in bouts of irritation or anger, which would worsen over time, only beginning to vanish once they had touched and all had become clear. _

_This fact casts a doubt on the age-old adage of bonds being determined by fate. If a single touch can decide whether or not a person finds their "soulmate", then if that touch does not take place (putting forth the notion that several bonds would have been formed if individuals in similar conditions had been made aware of the possibility), does fate really have a hand in pre-determining a bond? More so, can scientific psychoanalysis then discover what "makes" a bond; through careful consideration of behavioural patterns and proximities?_

_Further studies are needed to determine the exact extent of this phenomenon. The fact that spontaneous contact already has such a large hand in determining bonds gives credence to the romantic idea of pre-destination of love._

…

Shinra took off his glasses and pinched his brow. It was late, and his head hurt from reading through too many obscure scientific journals that were more fiction than fact.

Ever since he had had his ridiculous idea several days before; it had evolved into a nagging sensation, which he had only managed to put off because of the impossibility of it being true. Only when Celty had left him alone to go looking for her head, and in his resulting boredom, had he found himself sitting in his room and reaching for a discarded pile of magazines…

Now he almost wished that he hadn't, what he had found had caused his theory to crash to the centre of his thoughts and refuse to budge; it was demanding all his attention and even stopping him from thinking about Celty.

_It can't be true… Shizuo and Izaya definitely_ _hate each other and refuse to be near each other, yet their circumstances support the theory that they may be "latent" soul mates. _Shinra sighed. _For instance_, _they've known each other for a month and they haven't touched yet, which is a needed precursor that binds a bond. Then they both have unexplained feelings of deep annoyance and hatred for the other which could be a result of a "latent" bond that is distorting their emotions and causing them to pin all their frustrations on each other. _He raised his head and smiled wryly, realising that he had pinpointed something important about their relationship. _They're always at each other's throats, Izaya is always messing with Shizuo and spends time with him almost every day; even if it is usually just fighting or bickering. Also, whenever I talk to either of them, they both go on and on about the other as if it's an obsession… the most important thing in their lives. _

Interrupted by a sharp knock at his door, he beckoned and it was opened by a slightly worried Celty.

She showed him her PDA.

[It's almost nine o clock, I came home and saw that the kitchen was still pristine. Did you order out? Have you eaten anything? Normally I wouldn't ask, but for the past few days you've had a sort of… distant look and I was starting to get worried.]

"Oh, is it really that late?" he laughed. "Sorry for worrying you, I've just… well I've found something, a possibility,that really bothers me."

Tapping.

[What is it? Is it anything that I can help with?]

"You can't help, and for what the issue is-"he took a deep breath. "I think that Izaya and Shizuo may be Soulmates, they just haven't bonded yet".

She reacted just as he expected her too.

Celty violently backpedalled and almost stumbled, only staying upright because of her relative skill. She stayed dazedly still for a few moments, before she began to type in a frenzy.

She shoved her PDA into Shinra's face when she had finished.

[WHAT? WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT! THEY BOTH LOATHE EACH OTHER OR EVEN THE MEREST HINT OF THE OTHERS PRESENCE AND IF SHIZUO IS IZAYAS SOULMATE THEN I DON'T LIKE IT I WANT SOMEONE BETTER FOR HIM BECAUSE AS HIS FRIEND I KNOW HE DESERVES HOW COULD YOU-]

He gently took hold of her extended arm and lowered it.

"Celty calm down and let me explain, I have a very good reason for suspecting this" he reassured her soothingly. "Believe me; I thought that I was insane when I first came up with the possibility".

Celty eased herself and made a sighing noise, writing something on her PDA she did so.

[Ok, I'm calm. Please show me your "evidence" for why you think Izaya and Shizuo are Soulmates]

He couldn't help but inwardly roll his eyes at her use of quotation marks, he found it cute; but he would never outwardly show it, since she would think that he was mocking her and he could never do that to his Celty, his S_oulmate_.

"Umm, well I first suspected it because of Shizuo's actions the last time I treated him" he explained.

She cocked her neck at him in visible confusion.

Shinra groaned. "I'll explain the basis of it so you can fully understand".

He read out the article that he had found and pointed out everything he had drawn from between Shizuo and Izaya themselves as proof.

"So you see… when Shizuo last visited me, he exhibited clear signs of high stress and annoyance. He also said that he was mad since he hadn't got to "touch" Izaya yet, both are clear signs of a latent bond according to this article." he finished plainly.

Celty cocked her neck again and tapped away thoughtfully for a few minutes before she raised her PDA screen to him.

[Ok, I can see why you suspect a bond between them... but even if there is one, how are you going to get them to acknowledge it? If Shizuo and Izaya touch and form one then who knows what could happen, they could seriously end up hurting each other. You know how sensitive bonds are since you've done such a lot of research on them yourself.]

"Hmm I hadn't thought about that" Shinra said.

[Well maybe you should ask someone who is already in a bond for advice, someone whom you can trust; why don't you call…her, since you know her phone number by heart and she has a lot of experience with bonds.]

"Ohhh I'm such an idiot, I should have done that at the start" Shinra smacked his forehead in annoyance; then he looked up concernedly. "Are you sure that we should do this, and not tell Shizuo or Izaya directly? ".

[I think it would be best. She might try something drastic or over the top, but she's the only bonded person we know and she has the most knowledge about it].

Shinra smiled weakly at her. "Its too late now, I'll call her tomorrow".

* * *

A world without Soulmates, it sounded like heaven.

Shizuo snorted and turned the page of the manga he was reading. He was currently lying on his bed with a dozen textbooks and notebooks scattered around him.

He had tried to study but it had all been in vain. His load of unfinished schoolwork had grown to such an extent because of his many detentions that he just didn't care anymore. Also, why should he be bothered to learn maths or English, when he didn't have a brain for them? It was the one fact about himself that the goddamn flea was almost right about. Except that Shizuo knew that he wasn't an idiot, or a "protozoan" as his enemy called him, he was smart… smart in a way that any teacher would never understand. For instance, he was the only one who could see directly through Izaya, he knew exactly how much of a conniving scumbag the other teen was.

Shizuo bet that in his future he would have a dead end job and apartment, with the added plus of still having to deal with fighting and chasing after Izaya.

Groaning at the direction his thoughts had taken, he shook his head and directed all his attention toward the manga he had been reading.

It was set in a parallel earth, one that didn't have Soulmates. There, people who could marry who they liked without having to deal with the effects of a bond. Even so, that was not the only reason that he liked this manga, the main characters were interesting and they used alchemy to-

His stomach growled.

_Crap! I haven't eaten anything since breakfast… if Izaya were here he would probably say that I am "a ravenous beast that only thinks with its stomach" _he sarcastically intoned.

Shizuo frowned and got off his bed.

_I've been thinking about Izaya way too much recently, I need to get him out of my head before I break something. Food… yes food will be the perfect distraction for me. _He thought as he exited his room and made his way downstairs.

His mother was on the phone as he entered the kitchen, she didn't notice his presence. Her conversation piqued his interest and Shizuo found himself eavesdropping.

"Wow! You really that it's possible…all this time without either of them knowing it."

Someone on the other end replied.

"Well I do agree with you. For one, it would be so typical of him to not notice something like this. I have had my suspicions or "motherly instincts" about it, because he's always talking about him."

His mother continued speaking and turned around to greet him with a smile, as if she wasn't surprised and had known that he had been there all the time.

"I'm sorry, but I think I need to go now. I hope that we can work something out" she put the phone down with a _clang_.

"Well?" she said before he could say anything.

"Well what?" he answered curtly.

"Aren't you going to ask about who was on the phone?" A daring glint came into his mother's eyes.

"I was just listening in, I don't really care about who you were talking too" he deadpanned as he opened the fridge door and took out a carton of milk.

"Well you should, because the conversation concerned you and a certain other person" she cooed. "Ask nicely Shizuo and I might just tell you".

"Okay,_ please_ tell what you were talking about" He tersely retorted. Shizuo hated when his mother teased him, but at that moment he wasn't exactly in the best mood for it and he didn't want to snap at her.

"Well Shinra was on the phone and he was talking about a theory he had, it was very interesting and it concerned you and Izaya".

"Oh? Does he think that he and I are soul mates or something?" Shizuo joked as he took a large swig of milk.

"Yes, he just thinks that you haven't bonded yet"

Her reply caused him to spit out the milk that he was about to swallow.

His mother laughed. "There no need to be so shocked Shizuo. I think it's been very obvious from the start"

"But-what-how, Him and me" he blurted out in horror.

His mother's face became gentle. "Shizuo, remember my advice… you should always have hope in finding your Soulmate. You have strong feelings for Izaya, maybe you should think about it".

"But its _Izaya"_ He groaned, still reeling from the insinuation. "Couldn't you have told me...?"

"Maybe I was a little blunt, but knowing that you would deny it, I just wanted to tell you myself and work it out with you" his mother said earnestly, she approached him and put her arms around him tenderly. "Shinra called me and told me that you might have an unfulfilled bond with him, one that is influencing your emotions in a negative way. I love you a lot and if Izaya is your Soulmate, then I want you – both of you-to be happy".

Shizuo leaned into her embrace for a few minutes and breathed shallowly. His mind trying to accept the revelation that had been put forth, but it couldn't, he needed to-

"I need to think about this, I refuse to believe it for a single moment". He told her, undoing her arms from around him. "Shinra is wrong, he has to be".

His mother's eyes were full of concern as he stepped away from her and grabbed a house key from the kitchen counter.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know, maybe just for a walk, or maybe I'll go and confront Izaya and…" he laughed shakily. "I feel angry and confused and…I just need some time to myself".

He turned away and briskly stomped out of the house, slamming the door on the sound of his mother's frantic call after him.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it! I have the next chapter for this planned out (although I'm going to update my other fic before I update this again).**

**A certain **_**event **_**is going to happen in the next chapter… one that I hope you've all been waiting for. **

**Please R&R**


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